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Saturday, August 23, 2008
My, She Was Yar.
I love old movies. No, not ones from the 80's, I mean really old movies. Today I'm talking black and white. I'm also thinking, like, 68 years ago! There are certain films which are basic to understanding twentieth century, English-speaking culture. In a way, being ignorant of some classic films can be a hindrance to understanding huge chunks of pop culture. Modern media has constant, numerous tributes paid to icons from the past.In this case, the blog title alone is nearly enough to test whether someone has spent time viewing this black and white piece of Hollywood's past. It is a line from Philadelphia Story (1940) . I happen to love Katherine Hepburn. Here she's playing Tracy. She and Cary Grant, as ex-husband Dexter, discuss a particular boat from their past and quite possibly their relationship. Yar describes a sailboat that's trim, responsive and easy to handle.
Dexter: Yes, yes. She was quite a boat, the 'True Love', wasn't she?
Tracy: Was, and is.
Dexter: My, she was yar.
Tracy: She was yar alright. I wasn't, was I?
Dexter: Not very. Oh, you were good at the bright work, though.
Tracy: I made her shine. Where is she now?
Dexter: I'm gonna sell it to Ruth Watrous.
Tracy: You're gonna sell the 'True Love', for money?
Dexter: Sure...Oh well, what's it matter? When you're through with a boat, you're through. Besides, it was only comfortable for two people. Unless you want her.
Tracy: No, no I don't want her.
Dexter: Well, I'm designing another one anyway, along more practical lines.
Tracy: What'll you call her?
Dexter: I thought the 'True Love II'. What do you think?
Tracy: Dexter, if you call any boat that, I promise you I'll blow you and it out of the water. I'll tell you what you can call her if you like...in fond remembrance of me, the Easy Virtue.
Friday, August 22, 2008
A Clean Sweep
The title sounds as if I either won all the available gold medals or got crazy with a broom. I want to go on record for doing the latter. Okay, I didn't actually touch anything having bristles, but I really did get into a cleaning frenzy today.
Three weeks ago, I corrected examinations for a COMM 0003 class I'd taught. There was one student, however, who had to take an emergency trip and missed the final. As he had cleared all work, I said he could take a make-up exam as soon as he returned. Well, today was our appointment. He worked in a quiet, empty classroom.
On the other hand, I stayed in my office. I hardly ever get around to going through the teaching materials at work. Even when our department shifted offices, I simply sealed all the junk in boxes to be delivered to our current space. With the extra time on my hands today, I was able to finally take the time to sort things out. Fortunately, I was in a perfect mood for cleaning. I tossed out almost everything! It seems silly to be sentimental about a specific worksheet or textbook. I figured that if I had not used something during the twelve months, then chances are I didn't really need it.
The staff who haul away the recycling will have to call in a crane. I threw away almost everything I could put my hands on. Some of the yellowing papers dated back to the 1990's.
Three weeks ago, I corrected examinations for a COMM 0003 class I'd taught. There was one student, however, who had to take an emergency trip and missed the final. As he had cleared all work, I said he could take a make-up exam as soon as he returned. Well, today was our appointment. He worked in a quiet, empty classroom.
On the other hand, I stayed in my office. I hardly ever get around to going through the teaching materials at work. Even when our department shifted offices, I simply sealed all the junk in boxes to be delivered to our current space. With the extra time on my hands today, I was able to finally take the time to sort things out. Fortunately, I was in a perfect mood for cleaning. I tossed out almost everything! It seems silly to be sentimental about a specific worksheet or textbook. I figured that if I had not used something during the twelve months, then chances are I didn't really need it.
The staff who haul away the recycling will have to call in a crane. I threw away almost everything I could put my hands on. Some of the yellowing papers dated back to the 1990's.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
In North America the Car is King
I patted myself on the back because I found relatively cheap tickets to Rome. Back in July, I mentioned about purchasing them online through Expedia. This was after becoming quite irritated that we could find no cheap flights from Vancouver. In fact, if we wanted to fly from Vancouver, a single ticket would've cost $1600! So, when I found round-trip tickets from Seattle for $820 per ticket, I snatched them up. Today on Expedia for the dates we chose, I found the cheapest tickets from Vancouver are now selling at $1820 each. Ouch!
I knew we would have additional expenses as well as inconvenience due to flying out of Seatac. Yet, we assumed even paying for Quick Shuttle bus tickets and hotel rooms, we'd still be saving hundreds of dollars.
I'd nearly made reservations at a cheap hotel adjoining the airport, when I decided to check out the availability of inexpensive, long-term parking near the airport. Wouldn't you know, it's cheaper to drive down and buy a month's parking at Seatac Park, than the bus tickets alone. Not to mention, the process is undoubtedly more convenient than crossing the border with a bus load of other passengers and not being able to stop to eat or shop.
I reserved a space for September 14th through October 5th. Driving down and parking is the easiest and cheapest way to get to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That is a little ironic considering we're going to Europe where it's perfectly possible to get around on public transit.
I knew we would have additional expenses as well as inconvenience due to flying out of Seatac. Yet, we assumed even paying for Quick Shuttle bus tickets and hotel rooms, we'd still be saving hundreds of dollars.
I'd nearly made reservations at a cheap hotel adjoining the airport, when I decided to check out the availability of inexpensive, long-term parking near the airport. Wouldn't you know, it's cheaper to drive down and buy a month's parking at Seatac Park, than the bus tickets alone. Not to mention, the process is undoubtedly more convenient than crossing the border with a bus load of other passengers and not being able to stop to eat or shop.
I reserved a space for September 14th through October 5th. Driving down and parking is the easiest and cheapest way to get to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. That is a little ironic considering we're going to Europe where it's perfectly possible to get around on public transit.
Labels: flying, Google Earth, Italy 2008, Net apps, Q3_2008, Seattle, transit
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
That's Fit to Print?
News organizations used to be pretty sure about the facts before they let articles hit printing presses. They were a little less subject to what can only be described as be journalistic gossip in the Internet age.
The following Google News screen capture shows the variations in reporting from different sources. Mind you, these were all released on the Internet within a one-hour time frame. The desire to avoid being left behind means that news junkies are barraged with conflicting, erroneous data. I'd rather they wait until more of the statistics were proven reliable.
The following Google News screen capture shows the variations in reporting from different sources. Mind you, these were all released on the Internet within a one-hour time frame. The desire to avoid being left behind means that news junkies are barraged with conflicting, erroneous data. I'd rather they wait until more of the statistics were proven reliable.
Labels: complaints, flying, Internet, Q3_2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Keep the Old Concept
I used to love magazines.
Even as a small kid, I would spend any library time in with the periodicals. It simply amazed me that one could find magazines for just about any interest or hobby. After I left college, when the world was much more analog, magazines were a great way to spend time in transit. They were light-weight, cheap, and easily available. Just as in my youth, one could find whatever information in which one was interested.
In the last decade and a half, unfortunately, I have fallen out of love with magazines. I would look at a publication that I religiously used to purchase, say PC MAGAZINE, and then remember I could find most any of that information online. It was never in one place, nor was it easy to read in online form. But hey, why waste money on the paper version, I reckoned.
I found something yesterday which may really affect my lackluster relationship with periodicals. Accidentally I discovered www.mygazines.com on an Internet news site. It was discussing how it is clearly breaking copyright by allowing members to scan and post PDF copies of publications. I had to visit for purely technical curiosity, of course!
It is fantastic as they've implemented an online reader app that is, indeed, usable. It's easy to zoom out to see the articles through the whole publication, flip through two-pages at a time, or read single pages. There's a whole Web 2.0 underpinning where one can share interests with other friends on the site. It's easy to bookmark for later reading and the list of wonders go on and on.
The best thing is seeing the old familiar static page format with all the advertisements. In some magazines that's the most important part. I can see how publishers hate this but it just shows how lacking they are in keeping up in the digital age. I'm sure that any money I spend in a store for the magazine is entirely consumed by the logistics of its distribution. It must be the printed ads which pay for the content creation. That can remain the same.
I don't want to read an HTML-based version of a magazine. I hardly ever log on to a site such as Slate. I'd prefer the old glossy format on a laptop via PDF. Combine that with exciting advances in Internet sharing and current publishers could actually increase the readership of brand name publications. They just have to get over the idea that their businesses are dependent on ink!
I hope Mygazines.com gets the chance to live long enough to force a shift in paradigm.
Even as a small kid, I would spend any library time in with the periodicals. It simply amazed me that one could find magazines for just about any interest or hobby. After I left college, when the world was much more analog, magazines were a great way to spend time in transit. They were light-weight, cheap, and easily available. Just as in my youth, one could find whatever information in which one was interested.
In the last decade and a half, unfortunately, I have fallen out of love with magazines. I would look at a publication that I religiously used to purchase, say PC MAGAZINE, and then remember I could find most any of that information online. It was never in one place, nor was it easy to read in online form. But hey, why waste money on the paper version, I reckoned.
I found something yesterday which may really affect my lackluster relationship with periodicals. Accidentally I discovered www.mygazines.com on an Internet news site. It was discussing how it is clearly breaking copyright by allowing members to scan and post PDF copies of publications. I had to visit for purely technical curiosity, of course!
It is fantastic as they've implemented an online reader app that is, indeed, usable. It's easy to zoom out to see the articles through the whole publication, flip through two-pages at a time, or read single pages. There's a whole Web 2.0 underpinning where one can share interests with other friends on the site. It's easy to bookmark for later reading and the list of wonders go on and on.
The best thing is seeing the old familiar static page format with all the advertisements. In some magazines that's the most important part. I can see how publishers hate this but it just shows how lacking they are in keeping up in the digital age. I'm sure that any money I spend in a store for the magazine is entirely consumed by the logistics of its distribution. It must be the printed ads which pay for the content creation. That can remain the same.
I don't want to read an HTML-based version of a magazine. I hardly ever log on to a site such as Slate. I'd prefer the old glossy format on a laptop via PDF. Combine that with exciting advances in Internet sharing and current publishers could actually increase the readership of brand name publications. They just have to get over the idea that their businesses are dependent on ink!
I hope Mygazines.com gets the chance to live long enough to force a shift in paradigm.
Labels: Internet, opinions, Q3_2008, technology
Monday, August 18, 2008
Being a Street Walker
In life, we can so easily slip into a rut. I suppose, but I'm not exactly sure, that means the same as when people say humans are creatures of habit. I was considering the fleeting shortness of life because of the recent anniversary of living in New Westminster, BC for twelve years.
After a dozen years, I would most definitely consider this home. Strangely, I don't feel like an expert. Even if one had always lived in the same spot on the earth, I suppose they're really not experts. Nobody can be. Things change. One's view of the place they are is unique for many reasons.
Most strikingly, I was considering what a small percentage of my city, I actually visit. There are streets within a mile of the apartment on which my feet have never traversed. When out of the house, it is quite amazing how few paths one generally takes. The way to work, the road to shopping, the street for the errands are where I usually go.
Well, digital photography as a hobby does get me off my beaten paths. Luckily, New Westminster, BC is a tiny little city. The total land area is 15.3 square kilometers, so I'm promising to take a better effort to look at it from every angle. Today, I went to the Queensborough boardwalk along Fraser River. It's part of the Port Royal residential developments that are continuing to change the entire east end of Lulu island.
After a dozen years, I would most definitely consider this home. Strangely, I don't feel like an expert. Even if one had always lived in the same spot on the earth, I suppose they're really not experts. Nobody can be. Things change. One's view of the place they are is unique for many reasons.
Most strikingly, I was considering what a small percentage of my city, I actually visit. There are streets within a mile of the apartment on which my feet have never traversed. When out of the house, it is quite amazing how few paths one generally takes. The way to work, the road to shopping, the street for the errands are where I usually go.
Well, digital photography as a hobby does get me off my beaten paths. Luckily, New Westminster, BC is a tiny little city. The total land area is 15.3 square kilometers, so I'm promising to take a better effort to look at it from every angle. Today, I went to the Queensborough boardwalk along Fraser River. It's part of the Port Royal residential developments that are continuing to change the entire east end of Lulu island.
Labels: digital camera, feelings, Fraser River, New Westminster, Q3_2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
6th and Carnarvon: 1922 and 2008
Last month, I matched up an old photo of Columbia Street with a newly-shot digital image. It was surprisingly easy. I thought that as a little hobby, I'd occasionally try other images around my adopted city of New Westminster, BC. Although by no means ancient, this town has been here since the advent of common photography.
I tried walking to a very near intersection to have another go at this. I found it a bit hard to make the two images match. Of course, eighty-six years ago there was a different building at the NE corner of 6th and Carnarvon. In addition, in the original photo there was a telephone poll directly at the corner but in today's image it's off center. The fact the B&W photo has a three storey building means that I had to leave a fair amount of sky in the newer picture too.
Even with these two characteristics taken into consideration, there's something unique about the old photo. The corner of the Reliable Furniture Company is nearly in the exact center of the image. Yet along 6th Street, the windows are in sets of three. This combined with the higher roof angle makes it appear much shorter than the Carnarvon street side. As the pole is pretty much in the center, this seems to be an optical illusion of sorts. That's something I cannot reproduce with the present structure. Today the building houses a part of the Simon Fraser Health Authority.
I tried walking to a very near intersection to have another go at this. I found it a bit hard to make the two images match. Of course, eighty-six years ago there was a different building at the NE corner of 6th and Carnarvon. In addition, in the original photo there was a telephone poll directly at the corner but in today's image it's off center. The fact the B&W photo has a three storey building means that I had to leave a fair amount of sky in the newer picture too.
Even with these two characteristics taken into consideration, there's something unique about the old photo. The corner of the Reliable Furniture Company is nearly in the exact center of the image. Yet along 6th Street, the windows are in sets of three. This combined with the higher roof angle makes it appear much shorter than the Carnarvon street side. As the pole is pretty much in the center, this seems to be an optical illusion of sorts. That's something I cannot reproduce with the present structure. Today the building houses a part of the Simon Fraser Health Authority.
Labels: New Westminster, Q3_2008, Then and Now Images
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